Mari Luz, missing child from Huelva, Spain, found dead

March 8, 2008 Five-year-old Mari Luz, missing from Huelva, Spain since she left her home in the El Torrejón area of the city on January 13 for a short trip to the local sweets kiosk, has been found dead.

El Mundo said her body was found on Friday evening in Huelva province's Torrearenilla marshland, in a river close to the Cepsa refinery installations, by an employee of the petroleum company. It’s understood that Mari Luz’s body was found with the clothes she was wearing when she disappeared, and that her body was badly decomposed.

There was news last week that the family of the five year old had received a ransom demand for two million euros, via an anonymous caller who demanded the money to release the child. While it was thought to be a hoax, the family said they were prepared to negotiate in the case of serious calls. Mari Luz’s uncle, Diego Cortés, said at the time that the family would personally go to rescue his niece if necessary, but said they would only be able to raise around €300,000.

El Mundo said Mari Luz’s parents, Juan José Cortés and Irene Suárez, had arrived at the scene to identify their daughter’s body, and that Juan José López Garzón, the central government delegate for Andalucía, was also en route to the site where Mari Luz’s body was found.